Fuel-reserve tank



April 14, 1925. 1,533,299 l J. G. ARMKNECHT FUEL RESERVE TANK Original Filed Jan.' 30, 1922 a tro: n 111,16`

Patented Apr. 14, 1925.

JOI-IN G. ARMKNECHT, OIF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

FUEL-RESERVE TANK.

. Original'applicaton led January 30, 1922, Serial No. 532,613. Divided and this application filed July 19, 1923. Serial-No. 652,555.

To alla@ hom t may concern Be 1t known that I, Jox-IN G. ARMKNECHT, a citizen of the United States of America,

residing at Detroit, in the county of lVayne ,and Strate of Michigan, have invented cer- Atain new and useful Improvements in Fuel- Reserve Tanks, of which the following is a l specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

. This invention relates to improvements in fuel reserve tanks, pertaining more particularly to structures adapted to contain a sup- Zply of fuel normally segregated from the fuel becomes exhlausted and it becomes necessarytoreplenish the supply; this condition generally arises at points removed from a service station, the result'being that it is necessary to travel to the station vin order vto obtain a supply and then return to the dead motor vehicle in order that the supplymay be replenished. To meet this condition it has become the practice to carry a relatively small quantity of fuel normally inaccessible for use as the usual source of supply. i

A number of ways of meeting this condition have been employed, some of which involve the use of. special structures within the supply tank with the openings at diflierent levels, theusual supply being made accessible through the opening of higher level,

the fuel remaining between this level and a lower level constituting a reserve; in such structures it becomes necessary not only to employ a special formation within the tank or an auxiliary to the tank, but also to manipulate valve structures as Well as to require the attention of the operator to see that the valve maintains the reserve free from loss,`as by accidental opening of the valve through use of the vehicle. Another wayof meeting the condition is to employ an auxiliary tank, which may or may not be located within the main tank, this auxiliary tank, when located within the main supply tank being generally located in a posious ways, but is preferably obtained by mounting the receptacle on the filling cap, so that the latter may be readily moved into and out of its closure position While maintaining the integrity of the reserve, the auxiliary or .reserve tank moving with the cap and being capable of removal from the tank bodily with the cap or shiftable with the'cap relative to the filling opening in such manner that the supply tank can be readily filled.

Another object is to provide for automatic filling of the reserve tank when in position, if such filling is required, the arrangement being such as to permit of ready controllable discharge of the fuel from the reserve tank into the supply tank by removal of the reserve tank from the supply tank.

Further objects are to provide a construction which is simple and efficient in operation, durable in construction, readily linstalled without. change in the usual tank structures and which clan be manufactured at a relatively low cost.

To these and other ends, therefore, the nature of which will be readily understood as the invention is hereinafter disclosed, said invention consists in the improved construction and combination' of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the ac companying drawings, and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which Similar reference characters indicate similar parts in the several views,

Figure l is a perspective view showing one embodin'ient of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the structure of Fig. l with the reserve tank shown in its normal or carrying position within the supply tank.

fl ll Vusually closed by a iiller cap having threads adapted to co-operate with .the threaded lilling` opening. f

In the present invention'the usual liller cap is substituted by a cap 12 having the eX- ternal threaded Zone to perniit ot vengagement with the threads of the iilling opening, and a reserve tank 13 secured to the cap, so

as to depend from the cap within tank 10 in alinement with the lilhng opening so that,

when the cap is bodily removed, the reserve tank will be removed with it. In the application ot which the present isa division, I have shown several ways in which the invention may be carried into eii'ect; in each,

however, the tank 13 is provided with a permanently closed bottom 13?L as well as a top 13b that is permanently lixed to the tank or container longitudinal walls, and which is of va generally closed characteristic, the top 13b, however, in the present embodiment of the invent-ion carrying openings 13C, one or more of which nilay be lilling openings, each ot the openings, of course, being serviceable as vent openings. In addition, the

' underside of the top 13b may carry a baffle 13 underlying openings 13c and serving to., tend to bre-ak down any tendency to throwV out iuel from .the reserve tank under splashing conditions, and at the same time permit of ready drain oifuel content that inlay be on the upper tace of the top and ready removal of the fuel content from the interior of tank 13 when the reserve supply ot 'fuel is to be put into service. Y

The reserve tank ina-y belilled direct, but is 'designed more particularly to be l'illed by the splashing activity within the main tank. As willbe seen the top 13") .is depressed with respect to the upper ends of the longitudinal wall of the tank, thus forming a shallow portion within which the splashing content may pass and be collected, such content passing' into' the interior of tank13. Splashing wit-hin the main tank is inevitable and when the tank is in its approximately iilled condition the salashin@` will take )lace in the immediate vicinity of this shallow top so that Yconsiderable quantity of the iuel content will rapidly pass into tank 13 by draining. `As the level in the main tank lowers, thel splashing condition remains but there is loss likelihood ot the supply for tank 13 continuing at the higher rate; but it will be understood that any content that may be splashed on to the top 13b will 'lind its way into the. interior'of tank 13, a't least until the latter is practically lled.

As will be understood,`the use of the splashing activity as the source ot supply for tank 13 requires that the shallow top be suiiiciently spaced i'i'oin the top of container 10 as to permit the content to freely pass into position where it reaches the shallow top, and hence it is essential that the top ot tank 13 be spaced from the cap 12, although secured to it. Any suitableform ot connection between the cap and tank may be `einployed, but I preferV to employ connection 'having the general characteristics ot theU- shaped member 15, the two legs 15l of the member being secured respectively to the under face of the cap and the uppei' face of top 13b the position of the member being such that thc bridgel or c nnecting portion is considerably ott-center.7 Since the legs Vare spaced apart a distance greater than the length of the filling opening 11, it will beV understood that the open space between the legs may receive the wall 'of the iilling opening, as shown in dotted lilies in Fig. 2, an arrangement which permits the filling of the main tank withoutremoving the reserve tank, the capbeing uiiscrewed-member 15 permitting this action without any diliiculty-and when Jfree from, the filling opening, the cap is pushed toone side to overhang the wall of the filling opening and pro-vide a'support tor the reserve tank leaving the filling openingY sufficiently unobstructed to permit ready iilling ot the main tank. When the later has been filled, the cap is shifted into threading position and when it is threaded to its seat suspends the tank 13 within its proper position.

The cap 1Q may be ot any preferred formation, although I prefer to employ that shown in the parent application, in which it is shown as havingV a. depressed portion 12a withinY which are located wings 12b which permit ready removal of the cap by the use of the fingers ol' the hand; and I pre'l'er toprovide the cap with a venting ope-ning as in cap structures: generally.

As will be understood the reserve tank may be automatically filled by the splashing of the content of the main tank.V Initially, it may be desirable to provideV a quantity within the reserve tank to meetthe possibility ot use should exhaustion ot the firsttilling of the main tank require the use of the reserve; however, this is not necessary where the operator of the car replenishes the main supply before exhaust-ion, succeeding lillings of` the main ltank producing'conditions under which the reserve tank will become lilled and maintained in such condition. lVhen required ior use the reserve tank is withdrawn and its content permitted to flow out through openings 13"'into the ion lll)

main supplyV tanlr, thus placinginto use a cation.

As will be understood, I have provided a construction which is capable of use with practically all the commercial forms of supply tanks, a construction which is simple and efiic'ient in operation, durable in construction, and which can be manufactured at a comparatively low cost.

I./Vhile I have herein shown one way in which the invention may be carried into effect, it will be readily understood that changes and modifications therein may be found desirable or essential in meeting the exigencies of use, and I desire to be understood as reserving the right to make any and all such changes or modifications as may be found desirable or necessary in so far as the same may fall within the spirit and scope ofthe invention as expressed in the accompanying claims when broadly construed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is l. A fuel reserve formation for motor vehicle service and comprising a closure member for the filling opening of the fuel supply tank, and a. fuel container secured to and depending from and movable with the closure, said container having dimensions and a configuration to permit free passage through the filling open ing, said container having a permanentlyclosed bottom and a permanent top, said top carrying filling and venting openings and with a baille formation underlying such openings.

2. A fuel reserve formation for motor vehicle service and comprising a closure member for the filling opening of the fuel supply tank, and a fuel container secured to and depending from and movable with the closure, said container having dimensions and a configuration to permit free passage through the filling opening, said container having a permanently closed bottom `and having a. top independent of said closure member but connected thereto and spaced therefrom providing a substantial passageway between the supply tank tothe top of the container, said top having a filling port accessible to the fuel content of the main tank during periods of splashing activity.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

J OI-IN G. ARMKNECI-IT. lVitnesses:

KARL H. BUTLER, HORACE G. SElTz. 

